Hi, and welcome to Paris, Puces. 🇫🇷
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📷 Marking the bicentenary of photography, the 2026 edition of Paris Photo opens at the Grand Palais on Thu, celebrating 200 years of image-making, from the medium’s earliest processes to its most experimental contemporary practices. A highlight is Révéler, a special presentation drawn from the Centre Pompidou’s photography collection. Elsewhere, the Voices sector, curated by Zasha Colah and Francesco Zanot, takes disappearance as its starting point, while Emergence showcases 20 solo projects by young artists from around the world. Add to that the Elles × Paris Photo programme championing women photographers, a rich publishing section, talks and book awards, and there’s plenty to get lost in.
🩷 Coinciding with Paris Photo, the BookBar at Hôtel Grand Amour hosts the first edition of the Amour Art Book Fair on Thu evening, 6–11pm. A celebration of indie publishing, it brings together artists’ books, zines and small-press titles, with publishers, booksellers and artists on hand for conversations and signings. Among the participants: Just An Idea Books, 0fr, Apartamento, RVB, After 8 Books and Purple. Music, food and drinks, too. On Sunday, the hotel continues its Paris Photo programme with the inauguration, 4pm–9pm, of the new Sophie Calle room, no. 602.
🦪 American chef Braden Perkins, ex Verjus, has recently taken over Le 21, a discreet St-Germain address (21 Rue Mazarine) once presided over by chef Paul Minchelli, where daily specials drew a loyal mix of politicians and the cognoscenti into its moody half-light. Today Perkins offers a choice of a generous, creative tasting menu (€100) or à la carte, with the Brittany coast centre stage: oysters from Cancale, scallops from Erquy, blue lobster from Quiberon, crab from Roscoff and line-caught fish from Saint-Malo. Expect thoughtful, ingredient-led cooking, with fermentation in the mix, and a wine list focused on small French producers. Reservations for Nov and Dec are now open!
👖 One of Paris’s best addresses for traditional workwear, La Blouse de Lyon has opened a new space at 20 rue Gérando, opposite the original shop. Owners Nicolas and Gwendoline source some of the finest workwear labels from around the world, from French heritage makers Lafont and Le Laboureur to Japanese specialist Toraichi. The new space offers a freer, more colourful take on workwear, with a changing selection of guest collections and special projects.
👗 The Fondation Azzedine Alaïa is transforming the couturier’s historic boutique at 7 rue de Moussy into Galerie Moussy, a new space integrated into the foundation’s wider programme dedicated to Alaïa’s life and legacy. For many years his only shop in Paris, 7 rue de Moussy was part of the interconnected Marais compound where Alaïa lived and worked. Visitors had to ring the bell to enter, finding its famous fitting rooms and portraits of Alaïa by his friend Julian Schnabel inside. Its new life as a cultural space begins with an exhibition by artist Aurore de la Morinerie, whose drawings are presented in dialogue with Alaïa’s creations. Opens Sat!
🪃 And finally, my Australian friends at Synchronique Éditions here in Paris are launching the inaugural Ciels Australs, a festival of Australian literature taking over the Mairie du 5e from Fri to Sun. One highlight is a rare chance to take part in a “yarning circle” – a traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practice of sharing stories, knowledge and experience – with four First Nations authors. Aboriginal art, a café Coutume and a pop-up bookshop add to the mix. Check out the full programme here.
See you there!
Kate
Welcome to Paris, Puces. on Substack. Expect the best of : LIFE IN PARIS 🇫🇷 each week, plus expert intel and tips from the world’s most epic FLEA MARKET✨ Art, Fashion, Design !
On Mondays: Life in Paris postcards - a curated mix of sights, bites and delights, celebrating Paris Makers, and the strange, new, true, and beautiful, forever!
On Fridays: Flea market intel - in-depth guides, behind-the-scenes stories and practical tips (this content is now paywalled, but Life in Paris remains free).
👉🏽 After years exploring the Puces de Saint-Ouen and researching for my book ‘The Paris Flea Market’, I now share that insider knowledge through bespoke buying and research tours – for collectors, decorators, architects, or anyone who wants to explore the markets with a deeper eye. Hit me up!